Destiny's Music Box
by The Closet Otaku
Summary: An OC fic based off of "The Servant of Evil" by Kagamine Len and mothy. What shall happen 100 years later when a similar situation comes along?
1. Children's Stories

**Welcome! So, this is based off of "The Servant of Evil," of course by Kagamine Len and mothy. I don't own Vocaloid, or the song. I'm not ****_that _****amazing. There are going to be plenty of differences in this and the original song. First off, it's an OC fic, so don't expect to see any of the Vocaloid's names in it. Second, it's based maybe 100 or so years AFTER the song. But the song still happened. So it's a sort of AU in a way. And most importantly, the events aren't going to be exact. Sure, you'll see how the twins were separated and the kingdom rising against them, but it's no fun if you follow it exactly, right? **

**Also, before anyone gets confused, the roles are switched in this one. Instead of how the boy was the 'servant' it's going to be the girl. There will be a bit more of an explaination later on in the story. "Now, bow down to me" and begin reading! I'm sorry I just had to...**

"Once upon a time, not too far from here, there was a beautiful kingdom. Although life was hard, nobody had to worry. And then the queen gave birth to two little children, a boy and a girl. Everyone was happy, especially the twins. But one day, the little boy was taken away from his sister."

"Aww! That's mean!" a little girl complained.

"The little princess thought so too. And as she grew up she was always angry at her mama for taking her brother away from her. When her parent's died, she became an evil queen."

"Why didn't she just go look for him? It's better than being evil!" the girl added in.

The lady chuckled. "Because she had to learn how to be a queen. There isn't enough time to adventure. But the entire time her brother the prince was learning how to be strong and how to protect his sister. And when he was old enough, he came back to the kingdom looking for her."

"Yay!" the girl cheered, throwing her hands up in joy.

"He went straight to the palace, running past guards and nobles searching for his sister. And he found her standing by a big window looking down at her garden full of yellow roses. She turned to see a boy around her age standing behind her, panting. She was terrified because she had never seen the boy in her life. But something had seemed familiar."

"Of course! Siblings know when they're together," the girl said with a nod.

"And he walked towards her, smiling. She tried backing away, but she was standing against the window and couldn't move any further. She was screaming for help, but-"

"But then he hugged her!"

The lady smiled. "Yes, he hugged her. And then he said, 'Sister, you grew up so much! What happened to the girl that used to fight back?' And she knew it was him right away."

"Yay!" The little girl smiled and hugged the lady before her. "Happy ending!"

The lady smiled sadly. She would have to save the ending from the small child for several years. "Yes, Lizzie, a happy ending."

"Lizzie!" the lady shouted. "Hurry up! We're heading to the market in a little bit!"

Ten years had passed since the girl was put into her care. Ten years since the girl had asked her to tell that same story over and over before falling asleep. But the young woman still loved that story. There was some sort of magic behind it. But then again, it was a children's story. Those were always full of princes and princess's and dragons and knights and heroes and monsters from all over the world. And every time good triumphed over evil. But then again, those were just children's stories.

"Coming!" Lizzie shouted, running out of the cottage with a basket full of bread. "Should I bring the candies I made and tell the children stories again?"

"Of course," the lady said, smiling. "Just be careful not to tell one that's too sad. Last time I had some angry mothers complain to me about their bawling children."

Lizzie blushed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry! I didn't think they would cry as much as they did when the mama came back and only the smallest lamb was left."

"Well then tell happy stories! Maybe someone will come join you this time. They could probably tell you more stories that I don't know." The lady sat down in the wagon cart, making sure that everything was stacked correctly.

Lizzie laughed. "Stories that you don't know? How is that even possible?" She put down the basket and sat down along with the woman. "You told me that you know every story in the world, Nana."

Nana smiled. "I'm forgetting some you know. I'm not as young as I was when you were telling me to tell you bedtime stories."

A sigh escaped the girls lips. "I know. But there's a lot more that I still don't know."

A man came out of the small house, laughing. "Something that Liz doesn't know? That's new!"

"Papa! You know I don't know everything!"

Papa smiled and ruffled the girl's blonde hair. "Of course you don't. But you never like to admit it."

"What happens next?" a little boy asked.

Lizzie had just told the children in the village outside the palace the story about the princess and her missing brother. "What happens next?"

"Yeah!" a little girl said. "What happens after he comes back? Do they get married?"

Lizzie laughed. "They can't get married, they're brother and sister after all! Hm…" She thought for a moment, trying to come up with something that would please them. "Remember how she was an evil queen?"

"The Queen of Yellow?" a male voice asked.

"Well I don't really know," Lizzie said, looking up at what looked like a man a year or so older than her. "Possibly. She did love her roses."

The boy smirked. "They shouldn't hear the end of the story then."

"Well why not? It _is_ a happy story, after all." There was more to the story? Didn't everything just work out in the end like she supposed it did? "The prince came back, and out of joy all the bad things left the kingdom. And there was a big ball where she met her Prince Charming and the rest was happily ever after."

The little girls cheered around her feet, happy that the princess had found true love. The boys pouted, happy that everything worked out, but disappointed that there wasn't a big scary dragon and a fight between the prince and the beast.

"Step aside! Make way for the prince!" a man shouted from down the crowded street. All you could see was a sudden wave separating them as they made a path to let the man through, bowing and curtsying to avoid eye contact. All but one.

"You, there!" a guard shouted, pointing Lizzie out in the crowd. "Look away!"

The girl only looked confused. The prince…looked familiar? Like she had seen him before somewhere. But she didn't come to the town often. Nor when she was younger. In all her staring she didn't notice anything until someone pulled on her hair, shoving her to the ground.

"I ought to whip you right this second!" the same guard said. "Nobody looks at His Majesty without permission!"

"Bruno! Calm yourself! She isn't from around here, of course she doesn't know any better!" the boy from before said. He was standing in front of her now, blocking the guard from hurting her.

Bruno scoffed. "Watch your mouth, _garden boy._ You have no right interfering with this."

"Both of you!" another voice shouted. The prince walked over and looked down at Lizzie. "Pardon their tempers. But please, next time, remember your place."

Lizzie nodded, still looking at the prince. "T-thank you, Your Highness," she whispered before getting up and curtsying. "I'll remember next time."

"Please do." And so he walked off without another word, Bruno following after him like a dog.

The streets had returned to their busy selves afterwards, as if nothing had happened at all.

"Your wrong," the garden boy said. "She didn't live happily ever after."

Lizzie looked up at him. "Then what happened?"

He smirked. "That's something for you to learn yourself." He turned and walked away, following the path the prince had taken earlier.

_So, what happened? _the girl asked herself.

**What happened indeed. Any comments? Recommendations? Ideas for any chapters? I'm open to all your thoughts! Chapter 2 shall include more about Nana and Papa, and possibly about the interesting garden boy...I hope you enjoyed!**


	2. Past Stories

**Chapter Two! Yay! Anyways, school has started, so either the chapters shall be significantly shorter or there's gonna be more space in between them. I'll try to top 1,000 words per chapter though. Short, right? I can't seem to write longer stuff because then too much happens and I have to rush the story...**

**So like I said last chapter, this will give you a tiny bit more information about some of the characters. More information in later chapters, since I don't want them learning too much just yet~ **

**I present you with Chapter Two!**

"Nana?" a very tired Lizzie asked as she sat in the parlor of their small home.

"Yes, sweetie?" the older woman responded from the kitchen. She had been busy baking biscuits for tomorrows breakfast.

Lizzie bit her lip, unsure how to word the next question. "What happened next?"

Nana came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands off on her apron. "What do you mean?"

"Well…What happened when the prince came back? I always thought it just ended there but one of the girls in the group I was telling the story to wanted to know what happened next." Lizzie stared at her hands, not wanting to look up at her mother.

Nana looked at the girl and sighed. "I can't keep this away from you much longer."

"Keep what from her?" Papa asked, coming inside from the fields. The serious look on Nana's face alerted him to the situation. "Oh, that."

Lizzie looked up, confused by the sudden serious mood that permeated the room. "What? What can't you hide from me?"

Going to sit in his chair, Papa just lit his pipe and didn't say anything.

"What happened? Did somebody die? Did another parent complain about my stories?"

Nana shook her head. "Nobody died. And nobody complained."

"Then what is it?" Lizzie asked, frustration audible in her voice.

"Lizzie," Nana whispered, "we aren't your parents."

Lizzie was about to open her mouth to say something when it hit her. They weren't her parents. It made sense now. No strangers would call them a family the first time they met. She was too different. Both Nana and Papa were fairly short, and she was rather tall. They both had brown hair; her locks were golden blonde. There were other differences as well, but people that called themselves their family made her feel more comfortable: some were awfully tall, others had bits of blonde in their hair. But she still never felt quite right.

"Lizzie? Are you feeling well?" Nana asked, concerned by her sudden silence.

Lizzie didn't look up. She just stared at her lap. Her whole entire life had been a lie. A big fat lie that had become as much the truth as her existence in the first place. If this wasn't real, then what was? Who was she? Where did she belong in this world?

"What happened to the Queen of Yellow?" she finally asked.

Her guardians looked at each other before finally one of them spoke. "She didn't become a good queen. And she was executed," Nana said simply.

Something about that didn't shock the blonde girl. One couldn't change just like that because their family returned. It took time. And most evils are too deep to remove anyways. "I see."

"You were given to us when you were almost three," Nana said eventually. "And you were crying the entire time for your mama to come back. Eventually you decided to call me 'Mama,' but I told you to call me Nana instead. You didn't really seem to mind the difference though."

Papa chuckled a little. "You came running to us like we were really your parents one morning. I'll never forget that day. You were just too sweet."

"Papa!" Lizzie said, embarrassed by the mention of an adorable childhood memory.

Nana continued, "And you never really seemed to care about your real family after that. It seemed like you thought it was all a dream after a while."

"I don't remember them at all." Lizzie didn't even try to remember. For her, it all seemed like a dream after all.

XxX

"Do you know who this girl is?" Liam asked, staring at a portrait of a family enjoying themselves in a small parlor.

"Which one, Your Highness?" the garden boy asked, bringing in fresh roses for the various rooms in the palace.

Liam sighed. "What other girls do you see in this? The blonde one playing with your hair."

Edmund looked up from the roses he had been arranging. "That would be your sister, Your Highness."

"Will you cut that 'Your Highness' crap! There's nobody to hear you call me by my name, Edmund." The prince sighed.

The flower boy chuckled. "Fine, _Liam_. But that's your sister. She's the only blonde girl I remember from when we were little."

"Ah, but you forget, I do not have a sister," Liam responded. "I never did. It was always just me."

"Don't go about denying the facts, Liam. You used to cry for days over losing her." Edmund looked back up from his flowers. "Did they ever figure out what happened to her?"

"Ed, I never had a sister. So, naturally, nothing happened." Liam continued to stare at the image on the wall. There was some sort of comfort in the painting from so long ago.

"Whatever you say, Your Highness," Edmund sighed, getting up and walking to the door. "If you happen to need me, I'll be in my quarters. Good night, My Lord."

"Good night, dear cousin."

XxX

Lizzie lay on her cot, tossing and turning as she willed sleep to come to her. The rain was persistent. Flashes of lightning lit up her room just as she could feel herself slipping into dreams and wake her back up again with their thunder. The sudden heat of the room didn't help either.

_In front of her was a beautiful rose bush. The flowers were all in full bloom, shining with the early morning sunlight as it hit the dew upon their petals. They looked almost like gold._

_The boy from the market would come tend to them over and over, making sure that there were no pests to bother them and that they were all well watered. And the flowers seemed even more like gold, as if time was going in reverse and made them look younger and healthier with each hour that passed._

_And then the boy stopped coming to tend to them. They started wilting. At first it was just a petal or two, but then entire blossoms would go limp and start to brown. Soon all that was left was a dried up stalk that had once been the base of the bush. And with a wind that carried the sound of something being hacked off by a knife, the bush turned to dust and was carried off into the distance, never to be seen again._

XxX

Edmund smiled as he saw a bud appearing in the earth. It appeared that there was soon to be a new rose bush to tend to.

**Recommendations? Ideas? Still interested in what you guys think! Thanks to all the people that read this so far! I loved to see how many different places this reached. **


	3. Mysteries

**Oh man~ I come back after just over a week and I find so many views! I feel so proud of myself! Wait...shoot pride is the sin that goes along with this series...So, school's bogging me down so I basically only have weekends to work on this, but I don't really mind. I guess it helps because it gives me more time to think about where I want this to go. Chapter three has a reference to Daughter of Evil in it, so be prepared even if it isn't really that shocking. It should probably be a given actually. You'll get more of Liam and Edmund though! Maybe a bit too much but I think you guys deserve some more info~ Enjoy reading!**

Lizzie spent the next few weeks living the way she always had. In the morning she would go and milk their cow, careful not to irritate the creature. Next she would take to their garden and pick whatever vegetables were ripe and ready to eat. She would then go and join Nana in the kitchen and prepare breakfast. Some days they would go to the market, but nothing out of the ordinary happened at all in the more recent visits. Otherwise she would do simple house work: dusting, washing, cleaning, all the jobs that slowly piled up over the day. After that she went out to their few fruit trees and picked apples or any other fruit for her and Nana to make several pies for their desert and for the market. Some days Nana needed help preparing supper. Other days their meals were easy to make, but they still tasted as good as the fancy dishes they made on holidays or when they had guests.

But today she had decided to walk to the palace. She didn't know why. It was just another quiet day in the market, but they had gotten there sooner than they had expected and there weren't many kids running around yet. She walked beyond the fence, entranced by the beauty of the lawn and the architecture of the castle. It was wonderful; large stained glass windows, a grand door, faded gold colored bricks, everything looked old and magical in its own way. The lawn was a perfect shade of green, trimmed to just the right length and carefully weeded. But her favorite part had to be the vast amount of roses surrounding the grounds.

Everywhere she looked there were roses. Large bushes traced the inside of the fence and the outer perimeter of the castle itself. And the color shocked her. They were a pure white. Not a single other shade was to be seen, and the flowers themselves seemed to glow. No blossoms were wilting, not a single petal was scratched or going brown. It was as if clumps of snow had survived most of spring and now the start of summer.

She eventually noticed a speck of blue amongst the roses. It was actually a rather large part of blue, so it could have been just a strange bush. But it moved, even when there wasn't a breeze. And it was a strange shade of blue, almost black in a way. And then it stood and she recognized the boy from the market almost a month ago.

At first she was confused. What was he doing there? Was he supposed to be in the roses? What if he got caught? But then she remembered the argument in the streets. He was the garden boy. He was in charge of keeping the roses perfect and the lawn neat. She watched him, paying close attention to how gently he treated each rose, as if it was a child that needed its own special attention. The next thing she knew he was looking in her direction and she hid behind the nearest stone base for the fence.

xXx

Edmund had been paying too much attention to his roses to realize that someone had been watching him. In all honesty, it wasn't the first time that had happened: sometimes His Majesty would watch him from one of the windows, but those days were few and far in between. Other days local women or prostitutes would stare at him. He was of that age, of course. But those times felt different. When the prince was watching him, he felt cold. When the women were watching him, it felt like he was burning under all of their attention. But this look felt warm. Like it was gentle and innocent. When he looked up all he saw was a blur of gold and tan before it completely disappeared from his sight. He brushed the feeling off, thinking it meant nothing and that it wasn't something to fuss over.

xXx

Liam stared out the window, watching the sun fade as night took over the town. "There was somebody watching you today," he said to Edmund, who stood behind him.

"I noticed," replied the garden boy. "They disappeared before I could see who it was though."

Liam nodded. "From what I saw, it was a peasant girl. Probably someone from another village that wanted to see the palace."

"And like everyone else they fell in love with the roses. I know, I know," Edmund said, sighing in annoyance. "Now, tell me why you summoned me here."

"First, have a seat. This might take a while." Once the gardener had gotten comfortable in an armchair, he continued. "Things have gotten too quiet. I fear something might happen and the people will rebel and the kingdom will fall into chaos."

"Exactly what do you mean?" Edmund asked, part in curiosity and part in getting his usually silent cousin to speak.

Liam paused for a minute, trying to organize his thoughts. "Well, I went to the prison yesterday and all the inmates were calm and quiet didn't do anything. You know how they are. Always trying to claw at your face or cursing you to hell and such. And the market has been awfully quiet as well. As if they're trying to hide until one super evil happens. Even some of the servants were trying harder to please me today. It's…not natural."

"How has your taxation been going?" the blue haired boy asked.

"I had to raise taxes last month because of how many people we plan on executing this month. I've already disposed of ten offenders in private. Their families came to berate me but I had them disposed of as well," the prince said as if it didn't mean anything to him at all.

"You can't expect them to just listen to you if you go about killing people! It isn't right!" Edmund argued, getting out of his chair.

"Cousin, you're lucky we are related or I would kill you where you stand," Liam said seriously.

Edmund glared at his cousin, blue-grey eyes connected with sky blue. "If I was in your position I would treat all this differently."

With a smirk Liam said, "But I took it from you at birth, so that's too bad on your part," before walking out of the room.

xXx

Edmund unlocked the door to the prison, sneaking in as quietly as he could.

"Hey, boss," one inmate whispered. "What you doing here so soon?"

"He noticed," the garden boy said. "Go back to being rough. I don't want him to think something's gonna happen."

"Course, boss. You guys got that?" the inmate asked.

In response, several inmates made grunting sounds and agreed with the men.

Edmund nodded. "Long live the king," he whispered with a smirk as the inmates repeated the chant.

**Like I said, more Liam and Eddy. The last part came to me randomly as I was typing it but I think it's a good idea. Comments? Suggestions? Ideas? Thanks to all my readers and I hope to have another chapter up next week!**


	4. Ivitations

**So. I thought this would be up ahead of time but I guess all the inspiration I had earlier this week died as I went through the rest of the week. Lots of dialogue between Edmund and Lizzie in this one. I feel like them two are just adorable together. Or is that just me? Thanks to the +/- 54 people that have read this so far! May they enjoy reading the rest of this as it comes along! Okay let me stop talking so you can start reading!**

Lizzie returned to the palace another time that week. The roses looked just as good as they did the last time she visited. Everything was in pristine condition, and the sun made them glow even more in the morning light. The only difference was that she couldn't seem to see a certain head of blue hair amongst the white flowers.

She sighed and walked back towards their little stand at the market. Papa had to go get some tools to repair a door on their barn, so she had to help Nana instead of telling stories and wandering like she usually did. She did smile, though, when children would run up to her and ask if she had another story to tell. But every time she shook her head and said that she was still looking through her book to find an even better story.

In all honestly, she was more worried about the fact that her life had been a lie. The past few weeks had been consumed by thoughts of her real family and why she had been left with her guardians. Maybe they couldn't care for her? Or did they have too many children? That happened a lot…She couldn't help but laugh at herself when the thought that she was some sort of royalty went through her mind. That couldn't be possible. They wouldn't get rid of a princess just like that…would they?

"Good morning," a man said to her.

"Good-" Lizzie looked up and saw the gardener. "Oh! Good morning!" she said, smiling a little.

Edmund smiled back at her. "No stories today?"

She shook her head slightly and sighed. "No. I still have to find a really good one as a special treat."

"That's too bad," he replied to her. "I was looking forward to a tale about a heroic prince and a peasant princess." He smiled at her gently, causing her to blush.

"Oh! Like…" Lizzie bit her lip in thought. "What was that one called again?…Sleeping Beauty!"

The garden boy shrugged. "Sure, like Sleeping Beauty." He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

Lizzie tilted her head to the side. "Are you thinking of another story? There's probably more stories like that somewhere."

Edmund shook his head. "No, I don't really know another story like that one. It's more just something from my imagination."

"O-oh," she replied, trying to suppress a blush. "Well, then, would you like anything? There's more than enough here, there must be _something_ you like."

"Other than you?" Edmund asked, raising an eyebrow. "Maybe this muffin?"

Lizzie blushed, reaching for a muffin and handing it to him. "You shouldn't be so open about who you fancy."

"And you shouldn't be so worried about everything." He took a bite out of the muffin and handed her a few coins. "You're only just below me in stature. There's nothing to worry about."

Lizzie could see people watching them, and she could hear whispers coming from their mouths. "I know. But shouldn't you be confronting me about this in private? And shouldn't you be speaking to my…parents?"

He sighed. "Are you afraid I'm going to kill you or something? All I want is to take a walk with you some time. Maybe we could run away together and write our own fairy tale."

"I'll have to decline," Lizzie said, looking down to avoid revealing her blushing face. "But a walk would be nice."

"Tonight the-"

"I'm sorry, but Edmund here is far too busy to worry about a date at the moment," another voice said.

Lizzie looked up before bowing her head once again. "Your Highness! C-could I treat you to anything? Or are you simply retrieving your servant?" She didn't like acting so formal, but she didn't have much of a choice around the prince.

Liam looked her up and down before shrugging. "Neither at the moment. Just making sure my pesky cousin isn't getting himself into trouble."

"Last time I checked I was a year older than you," Edmund said, glaring at his cousin. "And there's no need for you to go around worrying about me. It's bad enough that you're stuck worrying about this kingdom."

Liam waved that off as if it was nothing. "A prince's duty is a prince's duty. Now tell me, what sort of mad peasant's food are you eating?" he asked, looking disgustingly at the muffin Edmund had in his hand.

"I believe it's some sort of muffin with chocolate in it," the garden boy said. "It's rather good, actually. Better than anything your chef ever makes."

Lizzie smiled a bit at the comment. If this was good, then how badly did that chef cook in the first place?

"Would you mind bringing some to the palace this afternoon then? I'll be sure to send an escort." The prince started walking off. "And please, you don't need to look away when I am present. Just the proper respect is fine."

Edmund looked after his cousin before a strange smile crossed his face. "I've never seen him act like that in his life. I wonder what got to him…"

"I wouldn't know." Lizzie was looking around for a basket to put various muffins into. "You should get back to your work. You never know when His Majesty will summon you."

The garden boy laughed at that. "All I ever do is tend to the roses. Otherwise I'm free for the rest of the day. And I already got to do what I wanted to."

Lizzie looked back at him. "And that would be?"

"Seeing you." Edmund smiled at her red face. "Liam would probably like to stay for supper, so I'll get to see you tonight as well. Now won't that be a dream come true?"

"Dining with royalty is always like a dream, isn't it?" Lizzie was paying attention to the muffins, checking which ones had survived the wagon and looked appropriate for a prince.

"You can be like Cinderella!" Edmund said in a sing-song voice. "Knowing my cousin, he'll prepare a gown for you and have musicians at the ready." Lizzie gasped as he took her chin in his hand. "But I hope you don't choose a prince over someone just as suitable. He may be a handsome young boy, but he doesn't have much of a heart."

Lizzie nearly died as his lips brushed against hers for a second. "I-I wouldn't know. But…thanks. For the warning, I mean. I'll try to keep that in mind."

Edmund smiled at her. "Until tonight," he said before leaving, skipping a little as he walked down the avenue.

"And who was that handsome gentleman?" Nana asked, coming over to Lizzie and looking at the garden boy walk off.

"I think the prince called him his cousin," Lizzie said, back to looking at the muffins once again.

Nana giggled. "Ooh, royalty! What did he say about tonight?"

"His Majesty wants me to bring him some muffins this afternoon and the boy was saying something about dinner and such." Lizzie sighed. "Something about being Cinderella."

"Who's going to be Cinderella?" Papa asked, coming back to them from searching for parts.

Lizzie let her head drop. "I was invited to the palace to deliver some muffins and possibly eat supper with the prince and his cousin."

"I see," he said. "Well, one cannot avoid summons from royalty."

Lizzie shrugged. "He said he'd send an escort, so I guess I'll have to wait a while."

xXx

"So that girl fits your fancy?" Liam asked, going to the dining room to see how the preparations were going.

Edmund looked up from the vase and nodded. "Yes, she does."

Liam nodded. "I'm not going to try taking her from you. Although she _is_ quite the beauty."

"What are you pointing at?" Edmund said, glaring at the prince.

"She would make a darling little princess, that's all," Liam said with a smirk. "But I'm not romantically interested. You know I can only love myself."

"I'm not going to let you hurt her."

"I know," Liam said. "But she does look like that little girl you claim to be my sister in that portrait."

**Ahh! Okay yeah I didn't like how that came out. It sort of died right when Liam showed up, but the next chapter is going to be better since the story is going to get moving a lot faster! Recommendations? Comments? Questions? Anything? Thanks again for reading and let's hope next week another chapter is going to be up!**


	5. Histories

**Sorry I've been taking so long! The pressures of school has finally taken a toll on me. Anyways, since I'm facing writers block, I'm going to post a short chapter five. Mostly out of fear that I wouldn't be able to finish it for another two weeks or so. Much more on Edmund's emotions now, and a bit on his and Liam's childhoods. Hope you like this! Dinner scene coming soon!**

"The nerve of that boy!" Liam exclaimed, irritated by his cousins words. "Who does he think he is? The pri-Right." He sighed. He _was _the prince. And he could do and say anything he wished. And he couldn't stand it.

Some days he wished the boy wasn't born in the first place. Things would be a whole lot better for him if he wasn't. But then again, would he had ended up the same way in his position? He didn't think so, but it was always a possibility.

One thing he had learned from life was that nothing was equal or fair. Everything was controlled by money and power. The less money you had, the less power you would have. He was lucky that Liam even let him stay in the palace. But, then again, they were cousins, and orphans at that. They were all the other had.

Other than Liam's twin sister. But she had gone missing ages ago. Liam had to be around three when it happened. That put himself at around five. He couldn't remember her name anymore, it had been twelve years after all, but he could remember how life was always better when she was there. The palace was always happy. She would always run around, asking all the higher-ups if they knew any good stories.

For a child her age, she was awfully smart. Probably because of the stories. Even if she didn't understand the story completely, she could always tell it again. He remembered that her latest story had been about the three little pigs. He could barely hear her voice telling the story. He just knew it was there, in the back of his mind.

There was that one time he had overheard his parents talking about how he was supposed to marry her one day. This was years after she was taken, but they were still searching and hoping they would find her. And he actually liked the idea. He used to have so much fun with her.

But she was never found. They gave up hope. Now it was just him and Liam and the various other servants in the palace.

And now he had to protect Lizzie from the dangers of this life.

xXx

A small carriage rode up to their little stand, the driver summoning Lizzie to come to the palace by his escort.

Lizzie had been fussing for much of the time she was alone about the workings of a palace and proper etiquette and whether or not she would see the garden boy again. She had almost memorized his face; all that was missing was the sparks in his eyes. Every time she tried to remember just how the light hit his orbs she couldn't get it right. Some times it was the wrong angle. Others the reflection wasn't bright enough. Hopefully by the end of the meal she would be able to recall them with her eyes closed.

Although it was still light out, she felt a sort of anxiety at the thought of riding to the palace in this sort of manner. Was this how Cinderella felt? Then again, Cinderella was dressed in a beautiful gown, and she was still in her peasant dress. But clothes didn't matter at the end, since the glass slipper fit, right?

Her thoughts left as nerves took over once they finally reached the palace itself. Nothing made sense until she was led to a room with a gown spread out on the bed. It took a few minutes, but eventually she had it on and was twirling around a mirror.

The dress fit her well, skirts falling and hitting the floor at the right height. The goldenrod fabric was soft to the touch, and the black stood out on it well. It was almost terrifying in a way, the beauty of the dress, as if it was a sign of evil itself.

She stepped out of the room and almost immediately ran into the garden boy. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!"

Edmund smiled and brushed some hair out of her face. "Don't make such a fuss out of it. We were due to run into each other eventually."

Lizzie blushed a bit. "I guess so. Are you here to fetch me for the meal, or did you want to talk to me about something else?"

"Sadly, I'm just here to bring you to dinner or whatever people call it now," Edmund said with a sigh. "But if you remember a good story, I'm willing to listen to it."

Lizzie nodded. "Of course! Whenever you want!"

He smiled at her. "To dinner?" He held up his hand for her to take.

She put her hand in his and let her lead him through the castle, looking at the various different paintings and furniture that scattered the halls. "It's so beautiful…Who takes care of all this?"

"Usually it's just me." Edmund looked around as well. "There aren't that many servants here, and I'm the only one that knows every inch of this palace. It's basically my home."

"The prince must be generous, huh?" She smiled, getting lost in little fantasies. "Living in such a beautiful place must be amazing! Large meals, comfortable beds, books galore! This is heaven!"

Edmund tried not to kill her dreams right that second. It really wasn't all that great. Even being Liam's cousin didn't give him access to good food, and there wasn't much to do when it came to reading. The only thing she was right about was the beds, but he didn't get much time to enjoy those either. "I guess it's pretty nice. Better than the streets."

"Is there better?" Lizzie asked, a bit shocked that he wasn't all that happy.

Edmund shrugged. "Somewhere there has to be. Like back when this was the kingdom of Yellow and the princess had the world in her hands."

"Yellow? As in that one story?" Lizzie asked, suddenly curious. "Did such a thing really happen? Were parents really that mean as to separate their twins?"

He sighed. She was still as ignorant as before. "Parents do lots of things we don't understand. But we can't question their decision. It happened ages ago anyways. It's not likely to happen again."

"What's not going to happen again?" Lizzie had been distracted by the smell of food.

"A reign of terror such as the reign of the Yellow Queen."

**So. I wish I hadn't have gotten lost and distracted on this chapter. It would be so much better. Anyways, I want recommendations of foods you want them to eat! I'm not one to have fancy meals for holidays and such, so I wouldn't know what to put on their exquisite table to begin with. Recommendations? Ideas? Comments? Thanks for reading and I hope you look forward to my next post!**


	6. Families

**This is long overdue. I've been busy and there's been writers block and ugh...Anyways I'm still able to get it out which is good. Enjoy!**

Lizzie looked in awe at the table she was seated before.

Upon the white tablecloth were several platters laden with an assortment of dishes that she recognized, along with those that she had never seen in her life. Meats, soups, fruits, cheese, objects that looked like a combination of a few.

"Since there's only three of us I decided to keep this casual," Liam said, smiling a little at the girl.

"You didn't have to!" she said, blushing slightly. "I've been to a few smaller feasts; I know the order of the courses!"

Edmund chuckled a little. "That's right, Your Highness, she's not an ignorant pauper."

"Oh hush Edmund," Liam said, waving a hand around as if brushing it off. "And cut that 'Your Highness' business. This isn't a formal matter."

"I'm just showing the proper respect to my dearest cousin," Edmund joked, smiling at him in a playful manner.

Lizzie giggled. "It must be interesting having to treat your cousin like he's something special, huh?"

Edmund shrugged. "You get used to it. That's what happens when you've been doing it since you were finally able to speak."

Liam sighed. "Can we please move on with the conversation? I don't want to end the meal with our guest bawling her eyes out in pity for you."

"Elizabeth," Lizzie said, remembering that neither of them had called her by her name ever. "You may call me Lizzie."

Liam and Edmund each nodded before the three of them got lost in their food and conversations.

xXx

"I hope you're happy to know that Edmund sure has taken a liking to you," Liam said once he put down the fork at their final course.

"Oh really now?" Lizzie asked, looking over at Edmund with a smug grin. "I haven't noticed."

Liam rolled his eyes. He really hated being casual with people. "Well, even if you had, it wouldn't change much for either of you two. It's not as if you'll become some sort of princess."

"And who said she wanted that sort of fate?" Edmund asked, not wanting Liam to get involved with Lizzie's future. He knew where he was going with this, and he hated the fact that he knew it would end the way it did last time.

"Isn't it a commonality amongst girls in the lower classes to wish they were a princess or a lady of the court?" Liam asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

"Well it is," Lizzie put in, "but I wouldn't fit that sort of role to begin with. I would much rather serve than be served; I can provide for myself after all."

Edmund felt a cold weight fall on his chest. She had just doomed herself and the entire kingdom without even knowing what she had done. He didn't want this; he didn't want anything bad to befall her, and now his cousin would get his way and history would repeat itself and-

Liam cut off his thoughts. "Well, if you would like a home here, the doors are always open. You'll find everything as you would like it to be. I won't mistreat you."

Lizzie looked down. "I…I don't know what to say. Nana and Papa…" She bit her lip. They weren't her parents, so they shouldn't stop her from doing something that she would love.

"They'll miss you terribly," Edmund said, hoping she would change her mind. "And you would miss them as well. They're you're parents after all."

Lizzie could feel tears in her eyes. "They…They aren't. My parents, that is," she said, choking a little on her words. "I was forced upon them when I was a toddler."

"Oh," Liam said, trying not to grin. Everything was piecing together perfectly. "That's such a terrible thing, isn't it? Knowing that your real parents were never there for you…"

Edmund glared at him. "Please. You were five when they burned in the fire! You can barely call upon your mothers image without looking at a portrait! At least I was old enough to remember them well!"

"What happened?" Lizzie asked, looking worriedly at the now angry Edmund.

"Our parents and several court officials burned to death in a fire just over ten years ago," Liam said bluntly. "It was terrible and the kingdom nearly fell apart but those who survived put it all back together."

Edmund glared at his lap, not wanting to start a fight. It didn't make much of a difference anyways: if he fought back, then he would be punished and none of his plans would be put into action.

Lizzie stared at Edmund, sadness and pity for him and his cousin rising in her chest. "You must have loved them dearly."

Edmund managed to nod. "It's hard to lose your parents just as you're starting to learn things on your own."

"Everything is hard when you're on your own," Lizzie said, nodding slightly. "At least you still have your cousin."

"Oh yes," Edmund said sarcastically. "Where would I be without my dear, sweet cousin."

xXx

Liam had taken them to a small parlor after the meal to sit and relax, ignoring their complaints and statements of how they were fine in the dining room. He had his plans, and he wouldn't let his cousin or his guest ruin them.

"This painting is rather nice," Lizzie said, examining a portrait of a family complete with children and pets and everything. "Is this you Edmund?"

Edmund nodded. "Yes. It survived the fire with a little damage that they could repair easily. Liam and his sister were a sort of genetic anomaly in a way; the first generation of blondes in a long time."

Liam rolled his eyes at that. "If it wasn't for your great-great-great grandfather Kaito there wouldn't be anybody with blue hair in the family to begin with!"

"Well if it wasn't for your whatever-many great uncle Len for killing his fiancé none of this would have happened!" Edmund retorted sharply.

"He did what he had to to protect Rin! And don't bring up old arguments like that! She was bound to be killed anyways!"

"As was Rin! If it wasn't Kaito or Meiko, it could have been anyone else!" Edmund hated the fact that he was yelling, but this wasn't something he took lightly. Their family's past was bloody and terrible and a secret that he wish wasn't being brought up around Lizzie.

"Well then thank Len for taking her place like the loyal servant and brother he was!" Liam shouted. "Thank him for saving her long enough to have a bastard child with a strange man and keeping their family going long enough to produce my mother, your uncle's wife, to give birth to me, the perfect child!"

"Will you to stop yelling and tell me what the Hell is going on?!" Lizzie screamed, lost and terrified by their sudden animosity.

Edmund looked at her with apologetic eyes and was about to speak but Liam got there before him.

"My ancestor took his life to save his sisters. She was a queen once, and nobody loved her because she was a terrible person, and only her brother cared enough to let her live on." His tone was still very much angry, but his eyes were steady despite the tears that were clearly visible.

"Because the queen of Yellow deserved to be saved!" Edmund said sarcastically. "The bitch nearly killed everyone for even the smallest things and she starved them all just so that she could eat fabulously! She had every right to be killed!"

"Yellow? Like the story?" Was this what Edmund had been speaking about earlier? Lizzie's head hurt. This can't be right, can it?

"Oh, it's not a story," Liam said, "it's very much the truth. Why did they take my sister away? Because they believed that the princess was the problem. They thought two blondes would destroy what Blue had created."

Edmund was silent. He was afraid that if he said something he would ruin his argument and his chances of success.

Lizzie shook her head. "No, this isn't right…There's no way that's right! Edmund, tell him he's wrong!"

The boy only shook his head no.

She looked at him in shock. That perfect, beautiful story of her childhood was really only half of the truth. She wouldn't, couldn't, accept that fact. "No. I don't believe you."

"You don't have to believe us." This time Liam smirked, knowing that this entire thing was only weakening her mind to his games. "You're part of it anyways, sister dear."

"We're going," Edmund said, getting up from his chair and grabbing Lizzie by the arm, knowing that if she stayed any longer her entire world would fall apart.

Lizzie's mind was reeling, and she let Edmund lead her off because she barely trusted her own two feet. She couldn't be his sister…That story couldn't be true, especially the rest of the argument! She distantly noticed that he had taken her outside; she only came back to herself once they were in a small room and she was forced to sit on the bed.

"You can stay here tonight. He never comes here."

Lizzie nodded and curled up on the bed. She didn't know when, but she fell asleep, her mind drifting away from its dull confusion for a little while.

xXx

Edmund sighed once she fell asleep. He got up and put a blanket over her in case it got cold. "Sleep well, Princess. I swear I won't let him hurt you any more."

**And so the plot thickens! References were to about 200 years ago? I think I set this 200 years later or something like that. Comments, ideas, anything welcome!**


End file.
